Eleanor's mind was fuzzy. She was vaguely aware of Professor McGonagall's arms clutching her shaking body close to her chest. She heard murmurs of comfort, she heard Professor Dumbledore tell Professor Snape to get Hermione, Harry and Ron to help comfort their friend. She was thankful that Snape reminded Dumbledore that Harry might not be of the most comfort, considering he had just recently seen the return of You-Know-Who and the death of a friend only a few days earlier. Eleanor's throat ached from screaming, snot and tears covered her face, her heart felt as though it was ripped out of her. The Professors that surrounded her didn't know what to do. She had been inconsolable for nearly an hour. Their ears and hearts all hurt at the sounds her broken screams. She was not getting tired, she was not stopping. She was grieving. She was grieving loudly, deeply, widely.

Her parents, her best friends, her favorite people were gone. They were dead. Everyone around her knew that she wouldn't take the news well. She was such a tender hearted girl who loved her parents more than herself. She hadn't spoken a word, not coherently anyway. Never had she ever felt so much pain in her life. Her heart felt like it was actually broken inside of her.

"Severus, make haste, get Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall called, clutching Eleanor tightly to her and she screamed and shook. She would occasionally cough or gag on her own tears. Grief was not pretty. Grief was black and grotesque and the most inhumane human experience that existed. How could this pain even be real? Eleanor was exhausted and yet so far from being out of tears.

"No." Eleanor choked out, causing Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall to all look at her strangely. It was her first clear word since they told her. "Draco." She spat out. Snape nodded once and spun on his heel and left Dumbledore's office.

"Severus, Madam Pomfrey too." McGonagall added before Snape had officially left.

Unfortunately, both Dumbledore and McGonagall had had to be the bearers of bad news and tell their students that a parent or both had died several times in the past. None of them took it well. No one said thank you, no one left happy. Many cried, many asked questions, many went blank and numb. However, none of them had ever reacted in this way. They could not get her to calm down, and McGonagall was becoming afraid by Eleanor's staggered breathing and consistent gagging. She needed to sleep, she needed to stop crying, to stop screaming. She was thrashing against McGonagall, and the Professor was afraid of what the young girl would do had she not been held by the her Head of House.

It felt like years until Draco rushed into Dumbledore's office. He immediately scrambled to his knees and took the sobbing Eleanor from McGonagall's tired arms.

"What did you do to her?" Draco seethed. He couldn't imagine what kind of pain they must have inflicted on her to illicit this response. Eleanor had always been strong. She could withstand nearly anything. He always saw her as unbreakable. Snape thumped him hard on the back of his head as Madam Pomfrey poured a brew into a cup.

"Her parents have passed, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said solemnly. Draco felt his heart drop. He, of course, did not love Eleanor's parents as much as she did, but he did love them. He felt his heart hurt. He knew he would cry at some point too, but it would be when he was alone. He would cry for himself, for the mentors he had lost. He would cry for his parents, who both lost their best friends, their only true friends. He would cry for Eleanor, who just lost everything. But now, he would be strong for his best friend. He would be sure that Eleanor knew she wasn't alone. He would take care of her. He owed her that.

Draco could only manage a nod as he held his screaming friend tighter. She was completely and utterly broken. Her screams were the only reminder of the fierce girl she was. Even holding her, she felt hollow. He was terrified that her life was derived from her parents. He wondered who she would be without them behind her.

Madame Pomfrey bustled over to Eleanor, she was noticeably more calm in Draco's arms. He reminded her of home, she did not fight so hard against him.

"Hold her hair back, dear." Madame Pomfrey said lightly to Draco.

"What is that?" He questioned, looking at the goblet.

"Something to calm her down." The nurse answered shortly.

"Why? Her parents died, is she not allowed to cry?" Draco wasn't sure why he was fighting, but he wanted to keep her safe, he wanted to take care of her. He felt very protective to her, he felt obligated to her, he felt responsible for her.

"She has been like this for over an hour Mr. Malfoy. She is making herself sick." Professor McGonagall was understandably frazzled and frustrated, and ready for Eleanor to be calm so that she could get some sleep, some water, some food. Right as McGonagall said this, Eleanor began dry heaving on Draco's arm. She was choking on her own tears. Draco's first instinct was to push her off of him. He couldn't look at her without feeling a bit sick himself. He held her away from his chest as she coughed up nothing, gagging on what could only be the breath she was taking in.

"Her hair, son." Madame Pomfrey reminded harshly. Draco's hands panicked a bit as he scrambled to gather her thick, brown locks into his hand. Her body wracked with sobs, but Draco was able to prop her chin up so that Madame Pomfrey could get the brew in. Almost instantly, Eleanor quieted. Her eyes were closed, and swollen. Her entire face was wet with tears, and her breathing was still uneven as her body calmed down. Madame Pomfrey looked gratefully at Draco for maneuvering her and making it easier to administer the potion.

Draco was rigid as Eleanor slowly began to regain her natural breathing. Madame Pomfrey grabbed a damp cloth and cleaned Eleanor's face with it gently.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall sighed when Eleanor seemed to have drifted to sleep. Her head still rested on Draco's shoulder and her body shuddered every once and awhile with tremoring aftershocks of the trauma past.

"What did you give to her?" Draco asked quietly.

"A diluted sleeping potion. It is split with a bit of numbing potion. She will sleep for awhile, and when she wakes up, her heart will not hurt so much. She will feel emotionally numb for a few days." The nurse answered. "Not ideal, of course. It delays the grief process, but it was the only thing I could think to do."

"Thank you, Poppy." Professor Dumbledore said quietly. "It will give us a few days to help her sort out her affairs and get her to where she needs to go."

"So you're just going to dump her somewhere, leave her for dead when the pain comes back?" Draco seethed.

"Come now, Draco. You wouldn't think so little of us." Snape drawled out.

"Like hell I would." Draco's head snapped to his Head of House. "She's my best friend. I won't have any of you tossers put her in a worse position than she is already in." Any other time, Draco would have gotten house points taken away from speaking like that to professors. However, given the circumstances, it was forgiven. "Send an owl to my parents. They knew her parents best. Surely, they can do something." Draco suggested.

"They have been notified. Unfortunately, they can't seem to get into Eleanor's home through Floo or Apparation. They even tried simply walking up, and they could not step on the premises. We've contacted the Ministry about this strange phenomenon, we expect an answer by morning." Professor Dumbledore informed. "We would never simply leave Miss Cordarri on the streets."

Draco scoffed a bit. "You've done it before." He murmured lowly, grateful no one could hear him make a comment that could even be remotely taken in defense of Harry Potter. Eleanor must have been rubbing off on him.

"I believe we should have her stay the night in the infirmary." Madame Pomfrey spoke up. "We cannot solve anything more tonight."

Draco offered to carry her to the infirmary. About halfway there, his arms got very tired and his insisted on taking a break. Snape simply scoffed at him and carried Eleanor the rest of the way. She did not stir once. Professor McGonagall woke Harry, Ron and Hermione early the next morning so that they could be there when Eleanor awoke. Hermione shed a tear or two, imagining the hurt her friend must be feeling.

All three of them were shocked to see Draco half asleep in a chair next to the bed that Eleanor was peacefully sleeping in.

"Malfoy." Ron said shortly. "What are you doing here?"

Draco was wide awake in a second, looking like he was going to punch Ron square in the nose. "She asked for me. She didn't ask for any of you lot. She needed me."

The three were stunned and quiet. They all exchanged looks, unsure of what to say. They always knew Eleanor to be a fierce defender of Draco, but never imagined Draco holding that same love for Eleanor. He was always so cold. Even when they were friends, it always seemed very one-sided.

"She looks exhausted." Hermione finally said quietly. She brought a maroon knit blanket out of her bag. "I took it from her bed. I thought it might bring a bit of comfort." Draco slowly slipped out of the defensive as Hermione draped the blanket over her friend.

"Madame Pomfrey gave her a sedative last night." Draco rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up a bit more. He didn't like appearing vulnerable in front of Eleanor's Gryffindor friends. Or any Gryffindors. Or anyone. "She'll be out of it for a few days."

"Like sleeping?" Ron asked, placing her 'E' jumper that his mum had made her a few Christmases ago at the foot of her bed.

"No, not like sleeping." Draco snapped at the red head. "They didn't put her down, Weasley."

"Listen Malfoy-" Ron raised an angry finger at Draco, who looked more ready to fight than ever before.

"Stop it, both of you." Hermione hissed quickly as she saw Eleanor begin to stir.

"You woke her up, you dumb prick." Draco threw the jumper that Ron had brought back at Ron's face. Ron's fist was clenched in retaliation.

"He didn't wake me up." Eleanor croaked monotonously. Hermione was by her side in a moment, wrapping her friend in her arms. Ron and Harry pushed past Draco to crowd Eleanor, and lend her hugs. Draco stood at the foot of her bed, feeling out of place. He was not an emotional person, and he was bad at comforting people. Maybe he was what Eleanor needed last night when she was inconsolable, but now she needed love and that was something he felt he could not offer. He turned to go.

"Draco." Eleanor's hoarse voice stopped him in his tracks. "Stay." Draco pursed his lips and nodded. He stood at the end of her bed, his hands in his pockets, not looking at the four of them.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"I'm not really." Eleanor answered emptily. "Is that normal? I don't feel anything."

"That'll be the sedative." Draco spoke. "Madame Pomfrey gave you some last night. To make you sleep, and to delay some of the sadness."

Eleanor looked at her intertwined hands. "I don't like that." She shook her head a little. "I want to be sad for them. They deserve for me to grieve over them. They were too good of people for me to not feel their loss." Eleanor looked as if she might cry, but she didn't. There truly was no sadness in her heart. There was nothing.

"Madame Pomfrey didn't want to give it to you, but she kind of had to." Draco shrugged. "You'll feel normal in a few days."

"Not normal." Eleanor shook her head.

"Well, you know what I mean." Draco looked away from her. A blood vessel had popped in her eye, so instead of white on either side of her blue iris, one side was blood red. It was hard for Draco to see her face, still swollen and red. He couldn't see her without thinking of the state he saw her in last night.

The door to the infirmary opened and Professor Dumbledore and a woman that Eleanor didn't recognize walked in.

"Good morning all." Professor Dumbledore smiled at the small crowd. "Miss Cordarri, how are we feeling today?"

"As expected, I suppose." Eleanor nodded once, eyeing the woman in professional robes closely.

"I am afraid I must ask to speak with Miss Cordarri alone." Professor Dumbledore sighed sadly, eyeing all four of Eleanor's most beloved friends.

"They can stay, can't they?" Eleanor begged. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled affectionately at the young girl.

"I am afraid this business must be dealt with in great secrecy. However, nothing is stopping them from waiting outside for you." Dumbledore nodded at her fellow classmates to leave the infirmary. Eleanor sat up, wanting to get whatever these matters were taken care of quickly.

"Miss Cordarri, I'm Regine Flagman, and I am with the Department of the Departed in the Ministry of Magic." She introduced. "May I just start by offering my deepest condolences. No child should ever have to go through this." Eleanor simply looked at her without saying anything. Regine pulled out a stack of papers from her robes. "I will be quick, but there will be a lot of information, so if you need a break, please let me know." Eleanor nodded once. "Alright, so to begin with, you parents left you everything. Unsurprising to you, I am sure. They set it up so that you do not have to be 17 to be in control of everything. The estate, the bank accounts, everything they owned, you now own." Eleanor nodded, she was unsurprised by this. "Interestingly enough, they put a clause in the will that says that if you marry, your funds and property rights are not to be shared with your spouse unless you go file paperwork making it so. I am not sure why they put that in there, perhaps they were afraid of you marrying the wrong person." Regine chuckled a bit at that.

"My parents didn't think that low of me." Eleanor snapped.

"Ah, yes, well, my apologies." Regine stuttered out, flipping to another page. "The Aurors also found that your parents protected their home. Only those who are blood related to you can get in without your permission, it seems. It must have been old magic, and very complicated. The Aurors tried to crack it, but could not. They did extensive experimenting, and determined it safe for you, but no one else. They will continue working on fixing that."

"Tell them to not do that." Eleanor said quickly. "Leave it as is." Regine and Dumbledore both looked at her strangely. Eleanor knew her parents, she suspected by putting those spells in place, they were protecting her somehow.

"A-are you sure? That will not fare well for you in an emergency situation. All of your blood relatives are dead." Regine struggled to understand.

"I know that." Eleanor snapped. "I don't want that changed. I will contact your morbid department if I ever want it changed."

Regine nodded once, shocked and a bit ashamed, then returned to her papers. "All that is needed is your signature on the will, and everything is yours."

Eleanor snatched the papers and scribbled her signature on the line, right under her mother's and father's. On a normal day, she would have teared up, but she felt empty. Like there was nothing there. Nothing in the world could make her sad. It was as if her feelings had gotten turned off. "Are we done here?" She asked.

"T-there is the logistics of the bodies." Regine let out uncomfortably. "They are currently at St. Mungos being autopsied." Regine looked at Eleanor expectantly. Eleanor felt nothing. She wanted to feel something.

"How did it happen?" Eleanor asked. "Where were they found?"

Regine looked shocked at Eleanor's lack of emotion. "The Department of Mysteries. Their cause of death is unknown."

"So my parents just both somehow died in the middle of the Ministry of Magic, in an obscure department. That's likely." Eleanor scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"That is why it is being investigated. There is no promise of when or if you will get their bodies back. However, your parents often duplicated their memories and kept them safe within the Department of Personal Histories, we would be happy to process those and send them your way. It may take awhile to check them out of the system, but we will be sure to get those to you."

"I would like that very much." Eleanor nodded once. "I don't suppose they left their last memories?" Eleanor asked hopefully.

"That sure would make things easier. As avid of memory duplicators as they were, they were unable to have their final memory processed." Regine laid a hand on Eleanor's leg. "We will find out what happened to your parents." She promised.

Eleanor fell silent and just stared at Regine's insincere hand that offered insincere comfort. "Are we done here?" Eleanor finally asked.

Regine nodded once, and Eleanor swung her legs over the side of the bed, wanting nothing more than to be around her friends. She was stunned by how weak she felt. Her legs wobbled under her, and her vision went a bit spotty.

"Perhaps some food and water would do you well." Dumbledore said, as he helped her sit back down. "I will see Miss Flagman out, and ask Madame Pomfrey to have a tray of food delivered."

Once Dumbledore left, Hermione, Ron and Harry filed back in. Hermione with a pair of comfortable leggings and woolly socks for her, and Ron with the jumper. Harry had brought her a chalice of water. Eleanor drank the water in one gulp. It's coolness soothed her aching throat as she pulled the curtain closed and changed into the clothes her friends had brought her.

"Thank you." She told them gratefully as she reopened her curtain to greet them. Madame Pomfrey was there now, with a full tray of food. Eleanor sat cross legged on the infirmary bed and began to devour the fruits and breads and cheeses in front of her. Part of her wanted to feel guilty for eating, but it felt like her negative emotions were shut away. So she ate, and felt grateful for her friends, and wished for her parents wistfully and not mournfully.

"Where did Draco go?" Eleanor finally asked, feeling his absence greatly. There was a reason she asked for him and not for Hermione. He reminded her most of home. He had always been there, her whole life. She wanted him to still be there.

"His parents are here. They are talking with Dumbledore about having you come home with them." Hermione answered helpfully.

"Don't go with them, Eleanor." Harry said in a panic. "Mr. Malfoy is a Death Eater, I saw him the other night, in the graveyard. You can't live with him, Eleanor, you can't."

"I won't, Harry." Eleanor laid a hand on her friend's arm. "And not because Lucius is a Death Eater, we've talked about this, he isn't. You were confused that night, it was dark, you were scared."

"He said his name, Eleanor." Harry mumbled, peeved that she refused to believe him.

"Harry, I know the Malfoys better than anyone. I know you don't like them, and I understand why, but they aren't Death Eaters." Eleanor was beginning to get annoyed with Harry now too. "Anyway, my parents left the entire estate and fortune to me. I'll just...go home." Eleanor sighed a bit. Her chest feeling hollow at the thought of returning to her home without her parents being there. Would it even be home anymore?

The doors to the infirmary burst open. Narcissa and Lucius looked exhausted. Narcissa's eyes were bloodshot and tired. Eleanor could tell she had been crying. Eleanor was certain that they could both tell how bad she had been the night before. She had avoided mirrors that morning, but if she looked as exhausted as she felt, then she was sure she was not a pleasant sight to behold.

"Eleanor." Narcissa gasped, her eyes filling quickly. "Don't you worry about a thing, we'll make up a room for you. You'll be well taken care of there darling. Lucius, Draco and I will take care of you."

"T-they left everything to me." Eleanor stuttered out, half heartedly returning her hug.

"Of course they did, dear." Narcissa offered a soggy laugh. "It will all be yours when you turn 17. Until then, Lucius and I, we have you. You don't need to worry about a thing."

"No." Eleanor shook her head, removing herself from Narcissa's arms gently. "Everything is mine. Now. I own everything now." Narcissa and Lucius shared a look of confusion.

"Is that even legal, darling?" She asked her husband. Draco sat at the foot of Eleanor's bed. Narcissa wrapped Eleanor in her arms and the two women sat with their backs against the pillows. Lucius stood next to the bed and spared an annoyed glance at Harry, Ron, and Hermione who stood farther away.

"Do you think you lot could give us all a moment?" Eleanor asked her friends softly. They all nodded, though Ron looked annoyed that he was getting the boot. "Thank you all, for everything. We'll catch up." Eleanor tried to smile convincingly at them as the left.

"I don't understand why your parents would force you to live on your own. That doesn't make any sense." Lucius finally said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It makes sense to me." Eleanor said. "I mean, I am at school most of the time anyway. They must have figured I would spend Christmas and Easter with you, and the summers would be the only time I would be alone, and even then, I think they figured I would be with 'Mione, or Ron, or Draco."

"Well that is why we just don't understand why they wouldn't make us your official guardians." Narcissa said calmly. "Who is going to report to your professors? Who is going to sign your permission slips? Deal with the school on your behalf?"

"Professor McGonagall, I expect." Eleanor answered simply. "My parents gave everything to me before I turned 17. They trusted me, why can't you?"

Lucius gave her a thin smile. "You're being very brave, but you don't have to. We will take care of things." He then turned away. "Now, where is that Pomfrey woman. I would like a word with her about the potion she gave you last night."

"I just want to go home." Eleanor sighed, laying her head on Narcissa's shoulder. Draco glanced at her sadly for a moment, before staring at his feet.

"Oh, I know sweet girl. I know." Narcissa hushed. "You can go home today and pack your things. Draco can help you if you like." Draco nodded.

"No. I would like to be alone." Eleanor said stiffly. "And I would like to stay."

"Eleanor, you are barely 15 years old. You cannot live by yourself." Narcissa snapped at her. Eleanor stood up quickly.

"My parents left everything to me. Neither your nor Lucius' name was found anywhere in that will. It's all mine. Now, I am going to my home, by myself, where I can grieve in private." Eleanor snapped. She began to feel the potion slowly fading. Sadness and guilt and anxiety tugged at the edges of her heart, but was not enough to send her spiraling out of control. Only enough to make her lash out through anger. Draco stood now, startled by her ferocity. Narcissa looked shocked, and fell silent.

"It's not safe for you there." Narcissa continued reasoning, becoming desperate because she knew that Eleanor was stubborn to a fault and could never be wrong. Narcissa and Lucius were not expecting her to be so unfeeling, and so reasonable this soon after the death of her parents.

"It is safer for me there than anywhere else." Eleanor crossed her short arms across her chest. Draco smirked to himself at her stubborn pout. He knew that his mother would lose this argument. The determination in Eleanor's eye was unmistakable.

"Your parents are not there to protect you anymore. You need someone protecting you." Narcissa was beginning to feel herself going hysterical. Eleanor was so young, she could not do things on her own.

Eleanor thought for a moment about confiding in Narcissa about the protection spells her parents had placed around the house. However, she went against her judgement and didn't. She knew Narcissa would ask for permission to enter, and Eleanor felt that she could not refuse her. It wasn't that Eleanor didn't trust the Malfoys, it was more about the fact that she simply wanted to be alone without anyone barging in on her. She needed to figure things out on her own.

"The ministry will be investigating their deaths, they will need to question you. It will all be too overwhelming." Narcissa cried. "What about the funeral planning?"

Eleanor looked at her shoes, she had not thought as far as a funeral yet. "I hadn't thought about that." Eleanor conceded lightly. Narcissa sighed and held out her hand for Eleanor to take. Draco was confused watching Eleanor give in. Eleanor always got her way. Especially when she was dealing with a Malfoy.

"I'll be sure to have the gardens perfectly trimmed for their memorials." Narcissa promised quietly.

"Perfect. You were right, I don't know if I am ready to host a hoard of people in my home." Eleanor kissed Narcissa's head softly, smirking to herself about the way she twisted her words to get exactly what she wanted. Her nerve was quickly fading though. Eleanor felt her sadness crawling up her body, the doors to her heart that the potion had barred shut were weakening.

"Now, Eleanor, you know that isn't what I meant." Narcissa crossed her arms disapprovingly.

"But it is what you said." Eleanor smirked at Narcissa. "I'll come over for dinner. Every night if you want me to." The older woman wouldn't look at Eleanor. Draco watched this interaction, he knew his mother's succession meant that Eleanor had gotten her way. "I just lost my parents. I don't want to lose my home too."

"You will be all alone." Narcissa began crying. "I don't want you to be alone."

"Would it make you feel better if Draco came with me tonight?" Eleanor finally asked. Narcissa was still.

"I'll make sure she is okay, mum." Draco finally spoke.

"Lucius will never have it." Narcissa shook her head. "He won't. He won't stand for it."

"What won't I stand for?" Lucius asked, coming up to the bed. Eleanor straightened her shoulders.

"I am going home. And I am staying there. Draco will stay with me tonight, and I will be at the Malfoy Manor tomorrow for dinner." Eleanor stated confidently. Lucius simply scoffed.

"No, that won't be happening." He shook his head. Narcissa nodded at him in agreement. "Darling, you are being very brave, which I blame that damned potion for. You are not thinking clearly. In a few days time you are going to be extremely sad again, and you will be all alone in that house."

"I won't be alone." Eleanor shook her head. "Draco will be with me."

"We will keep Draco at the Malfoy Manor." Lucius countered.

"Then I will have Hermione, or Ron, or Harry stay with me. Or all of them. Draco is not my only friend." Eleanor held her chin high.

"Why are you doing this?" Lucius asked, his knuckles white on his cane. "I want a straight and honest answer from you."

Eleanor paused for a moment, looking at Lucius, trying to decipher if he was really serious. "I grew up in that home. That's my home. Your home isn't my home. That is my place. That is our place. I can't just let it sit empty. There are things in that home that I want to be close to. I want my mother's perfume, and my father's coats and I want to be able to smell them on their pillows and tend to my mother's flowers. I want to be close to them." Eleanor sighed, her heart feeling a little heavy. She was just glad she could feel something.

"One night in the house." Lucius finally agreed. "Get your affairs in order, pack your things." Eleanor furrowed her brows. She knew she wasn't going to fight anymore with Lucius, but she also knew that he couldn't force her to do anything. He had no legal claim over her. "We love you dear, we are here for you." His voice was cold when he said those, but still, Eleanor knew that he meant them. He seldom ever said things like that.

"Thank you." Eleanor nodded, smiling at the Malfoys. "I should probably go pack up my dorm room."

"Well, we will go then. We will see you tomorrow evening." Narcissa said. "Have the spells been lifted? On the castle?" She asked. Eleanor nodded her head. "Oh good, so Draco will be able to Floo with you. Pack an overnight bag Draco, and we will get the rest of your belongings. Dumbledore gave us the okay to let you both go home a few days early."

The Malfoys went towards the dungeons, and Eleanor slowly walked up to Gryffindor tower, her heart aching a little more with each passing moment, but it was easy enough to ignore. When she entered her dorm room, she found that Hermione and Professor McGonagall had already packed up her things for her.

"Thank you. Thank you both." Eleanor said gratefully, wrapping them both in a hug.

"What happens next?" Hermione asked. Eleanor sighed a bit and looked at her feet.

"I am going back home. Draco is going to stay with me for a while. Narcissa and Lucius think I am living with them, but that isn't likely to happen, really. I will probably just end up staying at home most of the time."

"That sounds rather lonely." Hermione said. Even though Eleanor's curly haired friend did not like the Malfoy family in the slightest, she knew that they would offer endless support to Eleanor. Hermione didn't like the idea of Eleanor being alone. Eleanor would never complain or ask anything of anybody. She was good at taking things upon herself so as not to be a burden to others, and Hermione could only imagine how exhausting that was for her. "Write to me, I'll stay with you this summer. I can stay for a few nights or a few weeks, whatever you need."

"Thanks 'Mione."

"Of course, Eleanor."

Professor McGonagall smiled at the two girls. "I will handle your academics, and be your guardian in that sense. Don't worry about anything. I will see you next autumn."

Eleanor smiled at her professor. She did find it a bit odd that her parents left her without a guardian this young. Perhaps they did not expect to be gone from her life when she was still so young, but her parents were thorough planners, and Eleanor couldn't imagine what would overcome them to leave her alone. Imagine she had been younger, who would she have gone to then?

"There is also this." Professor McGonagall handed her an envelope with her name written on it. It was her mother's hand, she could tell from the way the 'L' in her name curled. "It came with the will with instructions that you open it when you are alone."

Eleanor took the envelope and looked at her mother's writing and smiled sadly. "Thank you." She wanted to hold it to her heart, but she needed to get home. Eleanor shoved the letter in her bag and slung it over her shoulder before grabbing her trunk and heading down to meet Draco at Dumbledore's office.

"Be sure to write, I will come stay with you anytime." Hermione reminded her friend.

"Likewise." Ron smiled. Harry gave Eleanor a hug, and whispered to her to be careful. The Malfoys walked up and did their best to hide their disgust at the Gryffindor crew for Eleanor's sake.

"You ready, love?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes." Eleanor stated with confidence that was fading. The Malfoys walked with Eleanor up to Dumbledore's Office. Eleanor was a bit nervous about the logistics of getting Draco into Cordarri Castle. She had told Narcissa that the spells had been lifted, when in reality they were still set very firmly in place. Regine had said something about Eleanor's permission being required, but Eleanor was unsure exactly what that meant. Did Eleanor have to be with him? Or could she just tell him that he had permission? Perhaps Dumbledore would know, but she didn't want to ask in front of the Malfoy's.

"Alright dearies, in the fireplace you go. Remember to be at the manor with all of your things for dinner tomorrow." Narcissa gave both Eleanor and Draco big hugs.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Dumbledore about some academic things very quickly, perhaps you two should go first." Eleanor smiled sweetly at the two older Malfoys, then looking at her Headmaster, hoping he would not call her bluff. His eyes twinkled knowingly and nodded once at her.

Lucius and Narcissa looked apprehensive, but decided to listen to Eleanor and went up in green flames back to their home

"Professor, when it comes to needing 'permission'..." Eleanor trailed off, unsure if she wanted Draco to know about what exactly the spells on her home were. Dumbledore held up a hand.

"Once it is explicitly given once, then it is no longer needed again." He answered. To Draco, this answer seemed very vague, and Eleanor's question was incomplete, but Eleanor nodded in understanding and grabbed Draco's robe sleeve. She pulled him towards the fireplace with both of their things in hand.

"I'll just follow you, it is too much stuff to fit in there." Draco shook her off.

"No, it'll fit. Come on, come to my home with me." Eleanor invited, hoping that was explicit enough for the spells to accept Draco.

Apparently it was, because they both appeared on the other side of the fireplace with all of their things.